A theory of macromotives

Abstract

This essay sketches in outline a theory of macromotives. The latter term refers to certain encompassing themes, something like ultimate values, which are of directive importance to cultural development and span cultures ancient and modern. From a possible class of such motives, four are identified: the motives of nature, knowledge, power, and personhood. They are discussed in turn, with attention to their individual histories, and also with a view to analysing the kind of “emotive" logic by which each of these motives contends for the status of final point of reference. Then follows a brief reflection on the ways in which these motives not only impact on world history, hut also on some of the most intimate aspects of our personal lives. The penultimate section is devoted to a comparison o f the approach developed here with Dooyeweerd's theory of ground motives. The essay closes with a brief refection on the postmodern questioning of metanarratives.